Computer Assisted Learning

I present a brief history of computer assisted learning, looking at this through the lens of behaviourism. We consider advantages and disadvantages to a stimulus/response/reward approach to CAL.
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I present a brief history of computer assisted learning, looking at this through the lens of behaviourism. We consider advantages and disadvantages to a stimulus/response/reward approach to CAL. Without necessarily subscribing to this learning theory, you create a simple CAL program within Scratch.

The student inserts the disk and closes the machine. He cannot proceed until the machine has been locked, and, once he has begun, the machine cannot be unlocked. All but a corner of one frame is visible through a window. The student writes his response on a paper strip exposed through a second open- ing. By lifting a lever on the front of the machine, he moves what he has written under a transparent cover and uncovers the correct response in the remaining corner of the frame. If the two responses correspond, he moves the lever horizon- tally. This movement punches a hole in the paper opposite his response, record- ing the fact that he called it correct, and alters the machine so that the framr will not appear again when the student works around the disk a second time. Whether the response was correct or not, a second frame appears when the lever is returned to its starting position. The student proceeds in this way until he has responded to a11 frames. He then 9works around the disk a second time, but only those frames appear to which he has not correctly responded. When the disk revolves without stopping, the assignment is finished.

Transcript

1.
Behaviourism
CC by-nc Andrew Pollard

2.
Behaviourism
o Practice should take the form of question - answer frames
which expose the student to the subject in gradual steps
o Require that the learner make a response for every frame
and receive immediate feedback
o Try to arrange the difficulty of the questions so the
response is always correct and hence a positive
reinforcement
o Ensure that good performance in the lesson is paired with
secondary reinforcers such as verbal praise, prizes and
good grades.

7.
Thorndike, 1912
If, by a miracle of mechanical
ingenuity, a book could be so arranged
that only to him who had done what
was directed on page one would page
two become visible, and so on, much
that now requires personal instruction
could be managed by print.

8.
Pressey, 1920s
The teaching machine that Pressey developed
resembled a typewriter carriage with a window that
revealed a question having four answers. On one
side of the carriage were four keys. The user pressed
the key that corresponded to the correct answer.
When the user pressed a key, the machine recorded
the answer on a counter to the back of the machine
and revealed the next question. After the user was
finished, the person scoring the test slipped the test
sheet back into the device and noted the score on the
counter.
http://www.coe.uh.edu/courses/cuin6373/idhistory/pressey.html

16.
The personal online space
“In the future it will be more than simply a
storage place - a digital space that is
personalised, that remembers what the
learner is interested in and suggests relevant
web sites, or alerts them to courses and
learning opportunities that fit their needs.”
Ruth Kelly's introduction to Harnessing Technology, 2005

17.
Schools white paper
 Personalisation … means a tailored
education for every child and young
person
 It means every pupil being able to
extend their learning and develop their
interests and aptitudes
 Good schools already use ICT … to set
and mark work online … and to link the
classroom and home
 By 2008 all schools will be able to offer
access to e-learning resources both in
and out of school. We will encourage all
schools … to make available a personal
online space to every pupil